Chapter 71

Bernard, along with all the clan leaders, greeted the clan members returning from the front. Everyone had leveled up and upgraded their skills.

- Bernard, you should’ve seen that dragon! It was five times bigger than the others and an order of magnitude stronger. I can’t even imagine what kind of combat power could stand against it. Even if every mage in the clan hit it with a meteor, it would survive! A combined strike from the gods only weakened it and forced it to retreat. And in response, it incinerated almost our entire army and nearly killed them.

- Yeah, I saw. I’ve already heard enough about your defeat. While you were making your way back here, Leon and his army captured three more fortresses. Both sides called a truce after that—the war drained them. Right now, all the young gods except Leon have lost a lot of power. And he gained a massive advantage for future growth. For now, there’ll only be minor skirmishes, so we’ll keep grinding in raids and quests.

- What about PvP? The wars?

- It’ll come, trust me—very soon! If you can’t wait, go to the arena!

- Alright, got it. — The guy raised his hands defensively, knowing his boss’s temper. — You call the shots.

- You’ve got it all wrong. — Bernard shook his head. He was trying to explain the intricacies of war to this fool. — Do you really think a war like this won’t have consequences for the world itself? Very soon, there’ll be infighting within the Golden Hand clan. The other young gods will be clawing at scraps of faith. And you’re forgetting how realistic this world is. When two fight, a third waits to strike. Now do you understand?

- Yeah.

- What do you understand?

- That you know best what the right move is right now.

Bernard shook his head again.

- Weren’t you taught to think for yourself? You need to assess the situation strategically and tactically. You want a fight? — The guy nodded. — But you’re not thinking about the consequences. If you burn out now, you won’t be ready later. So tell me—who are we, as a clan?

- Mercenaries.

- Right. Now get your ass to the dungeon and practice teamwork. I saw how you got wrecked—and I taught you better. You made every possible mistake.

In truth, Bernard was very pleased with the operation. The young gods never stood a chance against Margul, but it was Bernard’s forces that dealt the most damage. Sabotage, flanking strikes, teams of malefics and necromancers pushing their limits—they’d done it all. But the young fighters still needed to hone their skills to perfection. A true warrior must master the sword, the flow of battle, teamwork, and battlefield awareness. That was the kind of mercenary army Bernard was building.

Margul returned to Thanatos—for now, he had no business in the greater world. He was melancholy, burdened with guilt for weighing down his siblings. As one of the strongest entities in this world, he would be among the last to fade. The mere thought of being left alone terrified him to his core. Bernard knew him better than anyone and understood his friend’s pain.

- How long will it take humans to reach dragon-level strength? — Margul contacted Bernard as soon as he returned to his temple.

- At least four years. Right now, only a handful have broken past level 400. I’m an exception. There are fewer than ten like me in the world.

- But they exist. So at least three years of waiting… I can wait. After all, I’m a dragon—we’re used to waiting.

- The minor deities of the old generation are stirring too. They’re roaming the world, seeking worthy opponents. They’ll be the first to reincarnate.

- That’s their choice. I’ve made mine.

- Margul, don’t you feel uneasy? I’ve got a bad feeling, and I don’t know why.

- I don’t sense anything. Thanatos is a place of power—you know how it is here. We don’t feel anything weaker than us.

- Yeah, I just wanted to be sure.

For the past month, that unease had been growing. Bernard had been sleeping poorly—nightmares of his death, the River of Souls, the Gray Lands, Thanatos.

The divine intuition granted only to gods whispered of danger—something so great it had halted the war. All the gods felt it.